South Korea

The Ministry of Education, as a part of its “smart education” drive, has pushed for all Korean schools to use digital textbooks by 2015. “Teachers expect digital education tools to enable self-directed learning, an ideal but elusive goal in the current education environment. Self-directed learners will not simply follow what teachers tell them to do, but search for information and knowledge about what interests them.” Digital textbooks might be a way to accomplish these goals, according to education experts, allowing for the Korean school system to remove away from the model of teachers focusing exclusively on teaching students for examinations. “It all starts with digital textbooks. They’re not restricted to content only, but will upgrade the whole school system and education to a new level,” believes an elementary school headmaster, Jo Yong-deuk. Others question the educational gains first or second grade students may receive from using digital textbooks.

Additionally, the Pearson Foundation has produced this video about Korea’s move toward digitized textbooks.